# How often do you clean your pipes?



## amazon2008 (Mar 10, 2010)

Just a newbie here, is pipe cleaned after every bowl or before you smoke a different kinds of tobacco

Thanks,


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## Brinson (Oct 28, 2007)

I run a pipe cleaner through it casually after each smoke. Every 10 or so bowls, I do an alcohol cleaning. I do not smoke different kinds of tobacco in the same pipe, so don't consider that.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I take a pipe cleaner to the pipe after every bowl and disassemble for deeper cleaning whenever it needs it. Not very often.


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## Terrier (Jan 15, 2010)

^ Same here.


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## Requiem (Dec 6, 2008)

I place a cleaner all the way through the pipe right after smoking and leave it there for 24h or so. Then, right before smoking that pipe again I disasemble it and scrub the stem, shank and draft hole with a cleaner. Alcohol treatments seem not to be necessary unless I plan to turn a latakia dedicated pipe into something else.
That first cleaner inserted right after smoking really reduces the amount of gunk in the pipe.


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## paracite (Jan 8, 2010)

I guess I'm the more obsessive one...

After smoking I run 2-4 pipe cleaners through the stem into the bottom of bowl. Then I disassemble the stem and insert pipe cleaners through the shank and stem individually. Put stem back on. Then leave one pipe cleaner through the stem into the bowl for an hour and remove. Let it sit to dry 24hrs.

After ever 4-6 smokes I do a vodka cleaning into the shank and in the stem.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

After every bowl, a scruffy then a fluffy.
I'll clean the shank with alcohol 
when I think it needs it.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

I run a pipe cleaner through the pipe, and do not take it apart or do anything further for quite a while until one day I realize the pipe tastes terrible, at which point I ream, scrub with alcohol soaked pipe cleaner, and do a quick cotton ball/alcohol treatment.


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

Jack Straw said:


> I run a pipe cleaner through the pipe, and do not take it apart or do anything further for quite a while until one day I realize the pipe tastes terrible, at which point I ream, scrub with alcohol soaked pipe cleaner, and do a quick cotton ball/alcohol treatment.


Something like this. I tend not to mess with them beyond swabbing them down unless they get funky.


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

New to the pipe and the one I have is a cheaper pipe with a Spade on the stem and is a bent stem making it harder to clean with a pipe cleaner. Any suggestions other than another pipe for now to clean it thoroughly?

Thanks for the Thread and for a new hobby I'm enjoying after each and every bowl.


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## paracite (Jan 8, 2010)

tobacmon said:


> New to the pipe and the one I have is a cheaper pipe with a Spade on the stem and is a bent stem making it harder to clean with a pipe cleaner. Any suggestions other than another pipe for now to clean it thoroughly?
> 
> Thanks for the Thread and for a new hobby I'm enjoying after each and every bowl.


My guess it's a Grabow?

It sort of takes practice, pipe cleaners usually can slide through, but I often find that my pipe cleaner scratches the inside of my stem.

Are there other pipe cleaners that are suggested for bent stems? I noticed the ends of my BJ Long pipe cleaners are pretty sharp (scratching/getting stuck in my bent stem).


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## Uelrindru (Mar 16, 2010)

A lot of times the ends of the pipe cleaners will slightly bend before you get them so straighten then a bit and then make sure the bend is facing the direction of the bend of your pipe when you insert it. 
I run a pipe cleaner through it until they come out clean after every smoke. Occasionally I'll run a shank brush through the shank about once a month. Haven't had to do anything more than that yet but then again I'm only just starting out.


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## commonsenseman (Apr 18, 2008)

tobacmon said:


> New to the pipe and the one I have is a cheaper pipe with a Spade on the stem and is a bent stem making it harder to clean with a pipe cleaner. Any suggestions other than another pipe for now to clean it thoroughly?
> 
> Thanks for the Thread and for a new hobby I'm enjoying after each and every bowl.





paracite said:


> My guess it's a Grabow?
> 
> It sort of takes practice, pipe cleaners usually can slide through, but I often find that my pipe cleaner scratches the inside of my stem.
> 
> Are there other pipe cleaners that are suggested for bent stems? I noticed the ends of my BJ Long pipe cleaners are pretty sharp (scratching/getting stuck in my bent stem).





Uelrindru said:


> A lot of times the ends of the pipe cleaners will slightly bend before you get them so straighten then a bit and then make sure the bend is facing the direction of the bend of your pipe when you insert it.
> I run a pipe cleaner through it until they come out clean after every smoke. Occasionally I'll run a shank brush through the shank about once a month. Haven't had to do anything more than that yet but then again I'm only just starting out.


There are no special pipe cleaners for bent stems. I usually try to bend one so I get a nice curve then insert it carefully to try not to scratch the inside of the stem, mostly because I'm worried that over time it could get even more difficult to clean. I have a Peterson that I have to use this method on. I insert it one way, then twist it so it's turned the other direction. That's the only way I can get it to go all the way through to the bowl.

Nothing wrong with a Dr Grabow, I have a couple & still smoke them fairly regularly.

I run a pipe cleaner or two after each smoke to get most of the gunk out, I also swab out the bowl to remove any excess dottle or ash. I only clean with alcohol (scotch is my choice of cleaner) when absolutely needed, when something tastes "off".


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## Jessefive (Oct 21, 2009)

I have a Peterson that I've never been able to get a cleaner all the way through. I just make sure to take it apart and run a cleaner through both sides before each smoke. I rarely go all out with alcohol treatment, mostly because I'm lazy and don't think of when I actually have time to do it.

I've always wondered about scratching the inside of the stem though, has anyone ever had problems with this in the long term?


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## brennivin (May 19, 2010)

I generally just run an average cleaner through it after a bowl before I put it away and leave it at that. So far so good. 

Though the details of how that works change. One of my pipes is a Kirsten, which has a large bore metal body that I'll run a tissue through, with a long thin rod attached to the stem that the cleaner goes through. The effect is the same though.


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## juni (Oct 16, 2009)

I use paper tissues to clean out the bowl after smoking, then let the pipe cool down and after that take it apart and clean the shank with an alcohol dipped cleaner and a dry cleaner and then do the same for the stem. 

(yes, I do this after each time I smoke)

If the pipe is starting to get a "funny" taste I salt and alcohol it, although I don't do this very often.


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## Jogi (Dec 4, 2009)

My cob is smelling acrid after the 2 or 3 bowls that I've had... I've been running pipe cleaners through the pipe during smoking and removing and cleaning the stem well after cooling. I've also been swabbing the bowl with paper towel after each bowl. What could be wrong? That burnt-tobacco smell natural or should it go after such cleaning and one or two days' airing?


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I could very well be wrong, but it sounds like you're burning off shellac, or extra glue, or whatever, if it's after only two or three bowls. I'd say smoke through it, but I'd wait for more knowledgeable posters before listening to me.


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## juni (Oct 16, 2009)

I read somewhere that you should never salt&alcohol a corn cob pipe - it will break. But since I only have one I have never tried it so don't take my word for it either.


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